Q –
Angela,
I received an email today, a news/promo letter I subscribe to. They started up a few years ago and seem to have gained a bit of a following. They are soliciting story contributions for a third volume of a book series. Though I’m not interested in it myself, I’m wondering if you would consider this a fair, legitimate call for submissions to an anthology, or a scam? Seems like there are a lot of these anthologies that want the writers to pay to be included.
The email says it’s an incredible opportunity, mentions well-known names of other contributors, and says not to wait. And, authors must pay more than $1,000 to be included. It costs even more if the author wants his or her name on the cover.
Best regards,
K.
A –
I reviewed the entire email pitch. The over-the-top, ridiculous, vanity-feeding marketing verbiage is the first red flag. The fact that authors must pay that much to be included, and earn zero royalties in return, is the icing on the cake. This is a HUGE scam.
Any author contributing to an anthology should never pay to do so, and should, instead, demand to be paid for their contribution.
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